Google Earth is a virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus ($20 per year), which includes additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($400 per year), which is intended for commercial use.[2]
The product, renamed Google Earth in 2006, is currently available for use on personal computers running Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above, Linux (released on June 12, 2006), and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browser plugin (released on June 02, 2008) for Firefox, IE6, or IE7. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web based mapping software. The release of Google Earth in mid 2006 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2006 and 2007,[3] driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.
Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others.The following diagram describes some of the features available in the main window of Google Earth:
Overview of Google Earth
1. Search panel - Use this to find places and directions and manage search results. Google Earth EC may display additional tabs here.
2. Overview map - Use this for an additional perspective of the Earth.
3. Hide/Show sidebar - Click this to conceal or the display the side bar (Search, Places and Layers panels).
4. Placemark - Click this to add a placemark for a location.
5. Polygon - Click this to add a polygon.
6. Path - Click this to add a path (line or lines).
7. Image Overlay - Click this to add an image overlay on the Earth.
8. Measure - Click this to measure a distance or area size.
9. Sun - Click this to display sunlight across the landscape.
10. Sky - Click this to view stars, constellations, galaxies, planets and the Earth's moon.
11. Email - Click this to email a view or image.
12. Print - Click this to print the current view of the Earth.
13. Show in Google Maps - Click this to show the current view in Google Maps in your web browser.
14. Navigation controls - Use these to zoom, look and move around (see below).
15. Layers panel - Use this to display points of interest.
16. Places panel - Use this to locate, save, organize and revisit placemarks.
17. Add Content - Click this to import exciting content from the KML Gallery
18. 3D Viewer - View the globe and its terrain in this window.
19. Status bar - View coordinate, elevation, imagery date and streaming status here.
Five Cool, Easy Things You Can Do in Google Earth
Want to jump in and start having fun with Google Earth? Try any of the the following:
1. View an image of your home, school or any place on Earth - Click Fly To. Enter the location in the input box and click the Search button. In the search results (Places panel), double click the location. Google Earth flies you to this location.
Search button Search button
2. Go on a tour of the world - In the Places panel, check the Sightseeing folder and click the Play Tour button:
Play Tour button
3. Get driving directions from one place to another and fly (follow) the route - See Getting Directions and Touring the Route.
4. View other cool locations and features created by other Google Earth users - In the Layers panel, check Community Showcase. Interesting placemarks and other features appear in the 3D viewer. Double click these points of interest to view and explore. See Using Points of Interest (POIs) for more information.
5. View 3D terrain of a place - This is more fun with hilly or mountainous terrain, such as the Grand Canyon. Go to a location (see number 1). When the view shows the location, use the zoom slider to tilt the terrain. See Using the Navigational Controls and Tilting and Viewing Hilly Terrain for more information.
View samples of other things you can see and do in Google Earth.
New Features in Version 4.3
This version of Google Earth has a number of exciting new features, including:
* Navigation controls - Look around, move and zoom into any location
* Sun and shadows - View animated shadows as they move across the landscape
* 3D buildings - View hundreds of photo-realistic new buildings in many of the world's cities
* Imagery date information
* Street-level imagery
* Support for new language versions
* Flash videos in placemark balloons (Windows and Macintosh)
Installing Google Earth
For information about installing Google Earth, visit the Google Earth Help Center.
System Requirements
To use Google Earth on a Windows PC, you must have at least the following:
* Operating System: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
* CPU: 500Mhz, Pentium 3
* System Memory (RAM): 256MB minimum, 512MB recommended
* Hard Disk: 400MB free space
* Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec
* Graphics Card: 3D-capable with 16MB of VRAM
* Screen: 1024x768, "16-bit High Color" screen
* DirectX 9 (to run in Direct X mode)
* For better performance, see Recommended Configuration.
To use Google Earth on a Mac, you must have at least the following:
* Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 or later
* CPU: G4 CPU, 1GHz or faster
* System Memory (RAM): 256MB minimum, 512MB recommended
* Hard Disk: 400MB free space
* Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec
* Graphics Card: 3D-capable with 32MB of VRAM
* Screen: 1024x768, "Thousands of Colors"
* For better performance, see Recommended Configuration
Regarding Linux, Google Earth has been tested on Ubuntu version 6.06, but certainly works on others. Hardware requirements include:
* CPU: 500Mhz, Pentium 3
* System Memory (RAM): 256MB RAM
* Hard Disk: 500MB free space
* Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec
* Graphics Card: 3D-capable with 16MB of VRAM
* Screen: 1024x768, "16-bit High Color" screen"
Please make sure your system has properly-configured OpenGL drivers. If Google Earth appears to be slow and unresponsive, it is likely that your system needs different video drivers.
Changing Languages
You can change the language displayed in Google Earth. To do this in Windows or Linux:
1. Click Tools > Options. Click the General tab.
2. Under Language settings, choose the appropriate language of your choice. System Default corresponds to the language used by the operating system of your computer.
To change your language on the Mac:
1. Exit Google Earth.
2. Click on the Apple symbol in the upper left-hand side of your screen.
3. Select System Preferences.
4. Click on International.
5. Drag the supported language (see below) of your choice to the top of the list.
6. Re-launch Google Earth.
Google Earth Version 4.3 supports the following languages:
* Arabic
* Czech
* Danish
* Dutch
* English (American and UK)
* Finnish
* French
* German
* Hebrew
* Indonesian
* Italian
* Japanese
* Korean
* Latin American Spanish
* Norwegian
* Polish
* Portuguese
* Romanian
* Russian
* Spanish
* Swedish
* Thai
* Turkish
* Traditional Chinese
Additional Support
In addition to this user guide, Google offers a number of resources that can help you use and enjoy Google Earth. These include:
* Tutorials: These provide hands-on lessons using the Google Earth.
* FAQs: View a list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Google Earth.
* Google Earth Help Center: Use the Help Center at any time to find additional information.
* Google Earth Help Groups: Join Google Earth users as they share questions and information with one another.
* Google Earth Community: Learn from other Google Earth users by asking questions and sharing answers on the Google Earth Community forums.
* Using Google Earth: This blog describes how you can use some of the interesting features of Google Earth.
Selecting a Server
Note - This section is relevant to Google Earth Pro and EC users.
When you first start Google Earth EC, the Select Server dialog box appears. This enables you to choose the appropriate server settings. Settings in this dialog box include:
* Server: Choose or enter the address for the appropriate server. For more information, contact your administrator.
* Port: The appropriate port for this server. For more information, contact your administrator.
* Always login to this server: Check this to automatically login in this server when you start Google Earth. Subsequently, this dialog box does not appear. To make it appear again when you start Google Earth, click File > Disable auto-login.
* Enable secure login: Check this if your work environment requires a secure login to this server. For more information, contact your administrator.
To add a database (server) that you can log into in Google Earth EC, click File > Add Database. To log out of a server in Google Earth Pro or EC, choose File > Server Log Out. To log in to a server, choose File > Server Login and choose the settings described above.
Tip - When you add another database (click File > Add Database), Google Earth logs into new database and maintains a connection to the existing database. Using this method, you can view